Electromechanical system and method of actuating a stylus

ABSTRACT

A motion inducing system for playing sounds over a gramophone is provided. An electrical signal such as that from a digital music player is converted to lateral movement of a surface using a linear motion transducer. The lateral movement moves the stylus of a gramophone, and the music from the digital music source is played through the horn of the gramophone.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/483,797 filed on Apr. 10, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/449,865 filed Jan. 24, 2017 and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/323,678 filed Apr. 16, 2016. Each ofthese applications are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties herein.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems and devices for converting electronicsound signals to translational motion and, in particular, for playingdigitally stored music on a mechanical gramophone.

BACKGROUND

Phonographs produce sound through the mechanical vibration of a stylus.In older phonographs, known as gramophones, sound was produced through astrictly mechanical linkage between the stylus, a diaphragm, and a soundhorn. In later versions (after about 1930) an electromagnetic styluswould convert translational or vertical movement to an electrical signalthat was amplified to drive a loudspeaker. Different types ofelectromechanical styli include moving magnet, moving iron and movingcoil cartridges. Through the 1940's and 50's mechanical styli werealmost entirely replaced by electromagnetic ones.

SUMMARY

In one aspect a device for playing sound over a gramophone is provided,the device comprising at least one linear motion transducer configuredand arranged to be driven by an audio signal originating from an audiosignal source, a carriage mechanically coupled to the linear motiontransducer, the carriage having an upper surface constructed andarranged to contact and retain the tip of a gramophone stylus, and abase for supporting the carriage, the base configured and arranged toallow for lateral movement of the carriage in response to movement ofthe linear motion transducer. The device can include at least two linearmotion transducers, the linear motion transducers coupled to opposingends of the carriage. The device can include a spindle hole in the base,the spindle hole constructed and arranged to be placed over the spindleof a gramophone and to provide alignment of the carriage with thegramophone stylus. The device can include a power source, an amplifierand a digital music source. Digital music is heard through a mechanicalgramophone horn when a sound signal is provided to the device and agramophone stylus is in physical contact with the surface of thecarriage. The carriage of the device can include a surface that definesa recess, such as a groove, for retaining a gramophone stylus. Thecarriage can be mechanically coupled to a stylus bar on a gramophone.The movement of the carriage may not produce sound perceptible to thehuman ear when the carriage is not linked to a stylus. The at least onelinear motion transducer can be, for example, an audio exciter. Thedevice may include damping support between the base and the carriage,and the device may also have a grommet disposed in the spindle hole.

In another aspect, a method of playing music from a digital music sourceon an analog gramophone is provided, the method comprising moving asurface laterally in response to an electronic sound signal, moving thetip of a gramophone stylus in contact with the surface in unison withthe movement of the surface, vibrating a diaphragm in the sound box ofthe gramophone via a stylus bar linked to the stylus, and producing airwaves with the diaphragm, the air waves reproducing the soundrepresented by the electronic sound signal. The surface can be moved inan axis that is perpendicular to the axis of the gramophone taper tube,the plane of the gramophone diaphragm, and/or a radius of the gramophoneplatter. The method may include providing the electronic music signal toa linear motion transducer, conditioning and/or amplifying theelectronic music signal, and reproducing sound that has a frequencyrange of at least 300 Hz and less than 10 kHz.

In another aspect, a method of playing digital music on a gramophone isprovided, the method comprising providing a source of digital music, thedigital music source in electrical communication with a linear motiontransducer, moving the linear motion transducer in response to anelectrical music signal from the digital music source, vibrating agramophone stylus via mechanical linkage with the linear motiontransducer, producing sound waves by moving a diaphragm mechanicallylinked to the stylus, and playing the music over a gramophone horn thatis in fluid communication with the diaphragm. The linear motiontransducer can be constructed and arranged to move a carriage and thestylus can be in contact with the carriage. The stylus can be a standardgramophone stylus comprising steel and/or tungsten, and the stylus maybe positioned normal to the surface of the carriage and need not beaffixed to the carriage.

In another aspect, a system is provided, the system comprising agramophone comprising a stylus, a sound box, a diaphragm and a soundhorn, a motion inducing device comprising at least one linear motiontransducer configured and arranged to receive an electrical signal froma sound source, and a carriage physically coupled to the at least onelinear motion transducer, the carriage in physical contact with thestylus of the gramophone. The system can be configured to move laterallywhen the linear motion transducer is excited. The system can include atleast one of a digital music player, a conditioner and an amplifier. Thelateral movement may be perpendicular to the groove of a virtual recordpositioned on the gramophone as if it were being conventionally playedby the gramophone.

In another aspect, a method of playing music on a gramophone isprovided, the method comprising contacting a gramophone stylus with ahorizontal surface, vibrating the horizontal surface laterally to movethe gramophone stylus laterally, vibrating the gramophone diaphragm toproduce sound, wherein the horizontal surface does not rotate about itsaxis. The horizontal surface may be vibrated by a linear motiontransducer, and the linear motion transducer may be driven by a soundsignal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, different embodiments of the invention are illustratedin which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a mechanically powered gramophone;

FIG. 2A illustrates a portion of a gramophone;

FIGS. 2B and 2C are micrographs of the surface of a 78 rpm record;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram explaining how a gramophone plays arecord;

FIG. 4 provides schematic diagram of one embodiment of a system forplaying sound on a gramophone;

FIG. 5 provides a cross-section view of one embodiment of a modulationdevice;

FIGS. 6A and 6B provide a top view and a profile view of an embodimentof a modulation device;

FIGS. 7A and 7B provide a top view and a profile view of a secondembodiment of a modulation device;

FIG. 7C provides an electrical schematic for the device of FIGS. 7A and7B;

FIG. 8A provides a top down view of a gramophone;

FIG. 8B provides a profile diagram of one of the components of thegramophone of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A provides a top down view of an embodiment of a modulation deviceseated on a gramophone;

FIG. 9B provides a profile view of one of the components of thegramophone of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A provides a cutaway view of a sound box and stylus in contactwith a carriage of one of the embodiments described herein; and

FIG. 10B provides a profile view of the embodiment of FIG. 10A along aline of sight 90° from the line of sight of FIG. 10A.

OVERVIEW

Described herein are several systems and devices for playing anelectrical sound signal on a mechanical phonograph. For example, thesystem can convert the output of a digital music player such as an iPod®or mp3 player to translational motion that moves a stylus in a mannersimilar to the vibrations induced by a record as the stylus passes alonga groove. The vibrating stylus moves the diaphragm in the gramophonesoundbox, and the resulting air movement is amplified by thegramophone's conventional geometry and is played as sound through thegramophone horn. The electronic sound signal can be converted totranslational movement using a Linear Motion Transducer (LMT). As usedherein, an LMT is a device that produces linear motion in response to anelectronic sound signal. The motion can exhibit both frequency andamplitude. The motion may be reciprocal and may be over short distances,such as less than 1 mm, less than 0.1 inch or less than 0.05 inch. Themotion may be in a single axis and may be horizontal and may be in adirection that is normal to the gramophone stylus or normal to thetangent of a groove on a virtual record on the gramophone. An LMT canbe, for example, a linear motor, a linear actuator, a modulator, atransducer or an exciter. The LMT can replicate the horizontal (orvertical) stylus vibrations that are induced when the stylus passesalong a record groove.

As a result, a gramophone in combination with an LMT can play music orvoice recordings, or live readings or performances, without rotationalmovement of the platter. Any digital music or voice source can be playedusing the system, and as the platter does not need to rotate, there islittle or no friction or wear to the stylus, that, when playing aconventional record, needs to be replaced frequently. Althoughgramophones and digital music may be at opposite ends of the recordedsound technical timeline, the systems and methods described herein canprovide for a melding of the two technologies, even though they may beseparated by over 100 years of audio development.

Record players, also referred to as gramophones, phonographs andturntables, reproduce sound by vibrating a stylus that follows arecorded groove in a record. Most modern systems use an electronicstylus such as a moving magnet or moving coil cartridge. Olderphonographs, referred to frequently as gramophones or by the trademarkVictrola, rely on a non-electronic, purely mechanical, means ofconverting recorded music into sound. FIG. 1 illustrates an antiquegramophone that is mechanically powered and uses no electricity. FIG. 2Aprovides a closer view of some of the important components of an antiquegramophone. As the stylus of a gramophone rides along the groove in arecord, horizontal cuts in the groove move the stylus back and forth.(In some cases, the cuts are vertically oriented and the stylus is movedup and down.) As schematically provided in FIG. 3, the horizontallymovement of stylus 30 is amplified by stylus bar 40 which is connectedto diaphragm 50 in soundbox 60. Note that as configured, the diaphragmcan be both pushed and pulled by the arm. The resulting sound pressurewaves are transmitted through soundbox tube 70, taper tube 72 and horn80 (see FIG. 2A). Proper geometric design of these elements leads toamplification of the sound that is played through the horn. Although thesystems described herein can be used with electronic and non-electronicstyli, many of the embodiments described herein will refer tonon-electronic systems. The same theories and processes can be appliedto systems including electrically amplified systems. Although it isbelieved that the systems described herein will be most frequently usedto play music, it is understood that any sound signal can be played overa gramophone, including sound from sources such as local or remotemicrophones, audio recordings, movie soundtracks, live radio, televisionaudio and online audio feeds, either streaming or stored. Sound sourcescan be wired to the modulation system or can be in wirelesscommunication with the modulation system, such as via Bluetooth, wifi orother wireless protocol.

FIGS. 2B and 2C provide micrographs of the surface of a 78 rpm record.In FIG. 2B, record 120 includes grooves 122. Caliper jaws 124 are set at0.1 inch and show that for this type of record, there are about 10grooves per 0.1 inch or 100 grooves per inch. Each groove is thereforeabout 0.01 inch wide and includes, at the upper surface, about 0.006inch of groove width and about 0.004 inch of groove wall. FIG. 2C ismagnified enough to show the lateral modulations that were made in therecord during recording or pressing. These modulations measure up toabout +/−0.002 inch or about +/−50 μm.

The systems described herein can utilize all of the mechanical featuresof a gramophone, such as a Victrola, from the stylus to the horn.Instead of using a rotating record with cut grooves to move the stylus,the systems and devices described herein use an analog sound signal tomove a carriage back and forth horizontally. The carriage can be indirect contact with the stylus of the gramophone and in turn moves thestylus back and forth to replicate the sound that is carried by theelectrical signal to the LMT. Most phonographs, including gramophones,use either a manually wound spring or an electric motor to rotate theplatter. As the systems used herein can be implemented without rotatingthe platter, they can be used with a Victrola or other system without aneed for the drive system to be engaged or even functional. Thus, musiccan be played through the gramophone by lateral vibration of the stylusbut in the absence of a rotational or longitudinal movement of a recordin relation to the stylus.

FIG. 4 provides a schematic rendition of one set of embodiments in whicha digital music player is capable of playing sound over a Victrola typegramophone. The analog line out from digital music player 210 carries asound signal to conditioner 220 where the signal is conditioned, by, forexample, combining a stereo signal into a monaural signal to be playedover a monaural system employing a single stylus and horn. Power supply212 provides power to amplifier 230 and any other components thatrequire power. The conditioned signal is then amplified at amplifier 230before it is fed to LMT 240. LMT 240 receives the amplified sound signalfrom amplifier 230 and converts the signal to translational movement.LMT 240 is mechanically coupled to carriage 252 which moves horizontallywith a frequency and amplitude that tricks the stylus into acting likethe stylus is being moved by the horizontal cuts in the grooves of arotating record. As used herein, a part is mechanically connected to asecond part if movement of the first part results in movement of thesecond part. Parts that are connected electrically for the purpose oftransmitting electricity (charge or current) are not mechanicallyconnected. For example, a power source connected to an amplifier is notmechanically connected even though physical wires may connect one to theother. Stylus 260 is gravity seated on stylus interface surface 254 ofcarriage 252 so that when carriage 252 moves, stylus 260 moves with it,as indicated by the opposing arrows surrounding the stylus 260. Theforce applied to carriage 252 by the stylus is provided by the weight ofthe sound box 282. With different systems, this mass can be greater than50 g, greater than 100 g, greater than 150 g, less than 200 g, less than150 g or less than 100 g. Carriage 252 may be made from a material thatassures that the carriage moves in response to the movement of theLMT(s). For example, the carriage may be solid and stiff, and in manyembodiments is not a membrane that may be flexed. In many embodiments,the carriage does not stretch and when the associated LMT moves, thecarriage moves with the LMT without delay. The carriage may be comprisedof, for example, polymer, ceramic, metal or alloys. The resultingvibration of stylus 260 is amplified by pivotally joined stylus bar 270which is longer than the stylus and is affixed to diaphragm 280 atconnection point 272. Sound box 282 can be airtight so that movement ofdiaphragm 280 results in alternating compression and expansion of theairspace on either side of the diaphragm. The resulting sound pressurewaves 290 travel down amplifying horn 284 and can be heard as audiblesound, such as music. The virtually unlimited library of digital musiccan be played on a gramophone where the unique and traditional tone ofthe Victrola horn is realized, free of hand cranks, motors, surfacenoise, mechanical noise, pops and clicks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Several embodiments and components used with those embodiments aredescribed below. Although specific devices and techniques are described,those of skill in the art will recognize that these devices andtechniques can be extended to include any number of devices andtechniques that can be employed to perform similar functionality.

In one set of embodiments, a system is provided that includes an LMT forconverting sound signals to translational motion. The resulting movementis used to move the stylus as would the cuts in a record. Upstreamamplifiers can be used to boost the sound signal to a level where themovement of the carriage is equivalent to, or greater than, the movementrealized by the tip of the stylus when playing a record. Although groovesize varies among types of records, a classic shellac 78 rpm record hasabout 100 grooves per inch with each v-shaped groove measuring about0.006 inches across the top of the groove. A loud modulation is realizedwhen playing a lateral bump in the groove of about 0.002 inches ineither direction (about +/−50 μm). In many embodiments, the LMT, whenfed an appropriate signal, can move the tip of the stylus by thisamount, or more. For example, the LMT can provide horizontal deflectionof the carriage, or the stylus tip, of greater than 10 μm, greater than25 μm or greater than 50 μm. One, two or more LMTs can be combined toincrease the range and strength of the lateral movement. For example,two LMTs can be positioned at opposite ends of the carriage and one maybe wired antiphase so that the two LMTs cooperate in movement of thecarriage.

FIG. 5 provides a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a motioninducing device. As used herein, a motion inducing device includes anLMT as well as additional components that allow the LMT to be coupledwith the stylus of the gramophone. For instance, a motion inducingdevice can include one or more of LMT 540, base 560, brackets 550,carriage 570 and electrical components such as conditioners, amplifiers,power sources, music sources and electrical connectors (not shown inFIG. 5). The embodiment illustrated includes a single LMT 540 that isfastened to base 560 via bracket 550. In this embodiment, LMT 540 is anaudio exciter such as a TEAX14C02-8 electrodynamic transducer availablefrom Tectonic Elements Ltd, Cambridgeshire, UK. Base 560 is stationary,so when LMT 540 is driven, it moves carriage 570 back and forth fromright to left with a frequency and amplitude determined by the signaldriving the LMT. Carriage 570 is supported by roller bearings 572 thatallow the carriage to move left and right (as shown) in relation to base560. Carriage 570 can be electrically grounded or can be isolated.Spring 574 is in compression and provides a bias to the system thatmoves the carriage to the right when LMT 540 retracts. The system ismounted on a gramophone so that the gramophone stylus can rest on theupper surface of carriage 570. As shown, carriage 570 includes indent576 to retain the tip of the stylus on a fixed location on carriage 570.This allows the tip of a stylus to move with the lateral movement ofcarriage 570. In other embodiments, the indent may be any recess, suchas an indent, groove, hole or depression. The lateral dimensions of therecess can be equal to, or slightly larger than the tip of a stylus. Thecontours of the recess may also be similar to those of the stylus, forexample, the sides of the recess may be sloped at angles of about 30 or45 degrees from vertical. In some embodiments the stylus may be affixedto the carriage or LMT while in other embodiments the stylus is incontact with the carriage or LMT but is not attached thereto and relieson gravity to maintain contact of the stylus with the moving surface. Inother embodiments, the tip of the stylus may rest on the surface of thecarriage but need not be retained by a groove or depression. In furtherembodiments, the carriage may be made of material that is soft enoughfor a steel or tungsten stylus to indent the surface when pressed intoit. The resulting indent can help to retain the tip of the stylus at asingle location on the surface of the carriage.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate another embodiment of a motion inducingdevice that includes a single LMT, with FIG. 6A providing a top view andFIG. 6B providing a profile view. The LMT shown is a push-pull exciter640, the housing of which is connected via bracket 650 and which is heldto base 660 by screws 680. In some embodiments, one or more brackets 650can be integral to base 660 and therefore do not require connectors tobe mechanically joined. The opposing side of push-pull exciter 640 isattached to carriage 670 which is supported against gravity by slides672 that may be, for example, PTFE or another low friction material. Theupper surface of carriage 670 includes a series of grooves that aresimilar to those in a 78 record. When a gramophone stylus is place inone of these grooves, the tip of the stylus moves in sync with anylateral movement of the carriage. The push-pull exciter provides forright and left movement (as shown) of the carriage without the need fora biasing spring as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. Base 660 includesspindle hole 682 which is designed to receive the spindle at the centerof the gramophone platter. Note that hole 682 is offset from carriage670, allowing for better alignment of the stylus with the carriage.Other features may be included to aid in alignment such as, for example,a curved lip on the bottom surface of the motion inducing device forinterfacing with the curved edge of a gramophone platter. Antiquegramophone platters are typically either 9.75 inches or 11.75 inches indiameter and are designed to play 10 and 12 inch records respectively.Although base 660 can overhang the edge of the platter, the distancefrom the spindle hole 682 to the edge of base 660 can be less than 6inches or less than 5 inches.

In some embodiments, spindle hole 682 may be secured to the spindle byspindle grommet 684. Spindle grommet 684 can help to reduce any movementbetween base 660 and spindle by providing a secure, tight fit around thespindle. In some cases, the base can move slightly on the platter, andthe tight fit around the spindle can help reduce or eliminate thismovement. The grommet may also help to insulate the base from anymechanical vibrations received through the spindle. Spindle grommet 684can be made of any material that securely connects the base 660 tospindle. The spindle grommet may be circular and can be in the shape ofa cylinder. The outer wall of the grommet may include a groove toreceive the base 660. When the base 660 is removed from the spindle, thegrommet may be affixed to the base 660 or may remain with the spindle.Suitable materials include, for example, polymers and pressed cellulosicproducts. In some embodiments, elastomeric polymers such as silicone,ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyethers, fluoroelastomers, fluorosilicones,natural rubbers and man-made rubbers can be used.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict a top view and profile view, respectively, of atwo LMT device that uses a second antiphase LMT to supplement movementof the carriage. Second LMT 742 is antiphase to first LMT 740 so thatboth LMTs move carriage 770 in the same direction on the same signal.Two LMTs at opposite ends of the carriage would fight against each othershould they be wired in phase. Bracket 750 connects first LMT 740 tobase 760 while bracket 752 does the same for second LMT 742. Supports772 can be, for example, low friction slides to provide support tocarriage 770, allowing the carriage to move laterally with the movementof the LMTs. Both first and second LMTs 740 and 742 can be push-pullLMTs so that each LMT can provide a force to move carriage 770 both leftand right. In some embodiments, the resistance to lateral movement canbe minimized by using, for example, low friction slides, low frictionbearings, magnetic levitation, or a low resistance support such as microfingers or a liquid, a suspension or a gel. Low friction slides includepolymers such as PTFE and may include a lubricant layer, such as oil orgraphite. A plurality of flexible vertical microfibers can supportcarriage 770 and can provide stability while allowing translationalmovement. A fluid, gel or suspension can also support the carriagewithout significantly reducing lateral movement at the distancesrequired for sound reproduction. Supports 772 can provide forfrictionless or low friction movement in the lateral direction but canbe stationary or resistant to movement in the longitudinal direction,the traditional direction of groove passage under the stylus. In otherembodiments, carriage 770 can be supported by the LMTs themselves andcan be suspended there between.

In some cases, supports (e.g., slides) may offer some flexibility in thevertical direction to help reduce distortion. Although the soundreproduction may be completed primarily through lateral modulation, ithas been found that in some cases there may be some resulting verticalmovement to the carriage resulting in distortion, particularly at highvolume. It is believed that this distortion may be caused by verticalvibration between the carriage and support. This distortion can bereduced or eliminated by using less rigid supports. The support can beof a material that doesn't simply compress but rather rebounds toprovide some damping of repeated vibrations. The support material canabsorb the vibrations while allowing the stylus and carriage to maintaincontact. In various embodiments, with a vertical force of, e.g., 80 g,100 g, 120 g or 140 g, the support may provide a vertical range ofmotion of greater than 0.0001 inch, greater than 0.001 inch, greaterthan 0.01 inch, less than 0.1 inch, less than 0.01 inch or less than0.001 inch. For example, the support(s) can be made of nonwoven naturalor synthetic felt or other soft material that absorbs verticalvibrations and is resilient. Examples of other support materials thatcan provide vibration damping include foam, rubber, gels and gas orliquid filled pillows.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, one or more LMTs can be connected to base760 so that the stationary parts of the LMTs do not move in relation tothe base, forcing the carriage 770 to move in relation to the base whenthe LMT(s) are excited. In other embodiments, one or more LMTs can beconnected directly to a portion of the gramophone, for example, theplatter, and a separate base may not be required. In yet otherembodiments, the motion inducing device can be anchored in place by thegramophone spindle or may be massive enough that it does not move inresponse to movement of the LMT(s), transmitting all, or most, of theinduced motion to the carriage.

FIG. 7C provides a circuit diagram of an electrical circuit that can beused in conjunction with the device of FIGS. 7A and 7B. Right and leftstereo music inputs 732 and 734 are in electrical communication with theoutput of a digital music source. Conditioner 736 combines the twostereo inputs to a mono output for playing on a single horn gramophone.In other embodiments, stereo output can be maintained, and can be playedthrough a gramophone with stereo capabilities or can be played throughtwo gramophones simultaneously with each gramophone playing one of thestereo channels. Amplifier 738 amplifies the music signal to drive firstexciter 740 and antiphase exciter 742. For example, the signal can beincreased by 10, 20 or 30 dB. In many embodiments, the amplifierconverts a high impedance “line level” signal into a low impedance drivesignal without increasing signal voltage. The output of the amplifiermay be controllable by the user, for example by adjusting a variableresistor. In many embodiments, the power being fed to the one or moreLMTs is greater than 100 mW, greater than 500 mW or greater than 2 W. Insome efficient systems, an amplifier may not be required and the outputof the music device may be adequate to drive the LMT(s). Power for theamplifier can be drawn from the digital music player or from a separatepower source that can be battery or mains sourced. In some cases, theinherent crank and wound spring system used for turning the platter on agramophone can be converted to drive a small generator for providingpower to the electronics (e.g., conditioner and/or amplifier) and evento the digital music player. The volume of the music emanating from thegramophone can be controlled traditionally, such as by closing orpartially closing the cabinet doors to reduce the volume in the room.

FIGS. 8A and 9A depict a top down view of the same embodiment, with FIG.8A illustrating a gramophone and FIG. 9A showing a motion inducingdevice 600 positioned on the gramophone 800. FIGS. 8B and 9B bothprovide a profile view of the soundbox of FIGS. 8A and 9A. Gramophone800 includes cabinet 802 that houses and supports the working parts,including horn 880 which is positioned inside cabinet 802. Platter(turntable) 896 and spindle 892 are supported in the standard method,but need not be connected to or driven by the motor. Brake 804 can beapplied to avoid rotation of the platter. Stylus 830 includes stylustouch point 832 where traditionally the stylus would contact the recordgroove. As shown in FIG. 9A, touch point 832 is in contact with thecarriage of motion inducing device 600. Stylus 830 is retained with aset screw and is attached to stylus bar 840 on soundbox 860. Diaphragm850 may be of conventional material, such as mica, and is retainedbetween two gaskets (not shown) in the soundbox. Diaphragm 850 dividessoundbox 860 into two air spaces with one of the air spaces in fluidcommunication with soundbox tube 872, taper tube 874 and horn 880.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the motion inducing device 600 is seated on platter896 and is pivotally attached to spindle 892 via a spindle sized orificein the motion inducing device. In some cases, the platter can be removedand the motion inducing device can be mounted to the cabinet or on analternative portion of the gramophone. Dotted line 814 represents aradius passing from the center of the platter and beneath the center ofthe soundbox. The offset base of motion inducing device 600 shifts thepoint of stylus contact downward (as shown) in the direction in which arecord would spin, from the radius that passes under the center of thesoundbox. When a gramophone is playing a rotating record, it isimportant that the stylus be angled, in the direction of recordrotation, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B. User manuals suggest that whencontacting the record groove, the stylus be at a 45° angle. Althoughthis is important to reduce wear of the record, it is not the bestgeometry for most efficiently translating lateral cuts in the recordinto diaphragm movement. In theory, the most efficient transfer of soundfrom a record through the stylus to the diaphragm is when the stylus isperpendicular to the tangent of the groove in which the stylus isplaced. With the implementation of the motion inducing devices describedherein, the soundbox and stylus can be positioned in a more efficientgeometry because, for example, there is no rotating record, no styluswear on the carriage and little or no wear on the stylus itself.

As shown in FIG. 9A, motion inducing device 600 can be consistently andrepeatedly placed in the same position by sliding the motion inducingdevice onto the spindle 892. The motion inducing device, pivotallyattached to spindle 892, can be horizontally rotated until the center ofthe carriage is directly under the stylus 830 when stylus point ofcontact 832 is resting on carriage 894. When excited, the LMT vibratesback and forth along axis 812. The axis of movement 812 can beperpendicular to, or substantially perpendicular to, a plane defined bydiaphragm 850 and perpendicular to the axis of the stylus. In someembodiments, viewing along the axis of movement of the carriage, theangle between the axis of the stylus and the carriage surface, or theaxis of movement of the carriage, can be about 90°, between 40° and 90°,between 80° and 90°, between 70° and 90°, between 60° and 90°, between50° and 90°, between 70° and 80° or between 60° and 70°. This angle isillustrated as ß in FIG. 10B which provides a profile view of the systemshown from above in FIG. 9A. The angle that the stylus makes with thecarriage surface from the point of view taken looking along the tangentof an imaginary record groove in contact with the stylus is, in manyembodiments, within a few degrees of vertical. This is illustrated inFIG. 10A which, for explanatory purposes, shows exaggerated motion andis not-to-scale.

FIG. 10A provides a view of a cross section through sound box 860 takenin the plane at the position of the stylus. The line of sight of FIG.10A is along the tangent of a groove from an imaginary record that thestylus is riding in on the gramophone. Stylus 830 is in contact withcarriage 894 and when carriage 894 is moved left and right by LMTs 740,the tip of stylus 830 moves with the carriage, changing the angle α ofthe stylus in relation to the sound box, or in relation to the verticalaxis. In many older gramophone designs, the length from the tip ofstylus 830 to the stylus pivot point 836 is about 0.8 inches. As thestylus is moved back and forth by the lateral movement of the carriage,the stylus pivots and the stylus tip moves to positions 830 a and 830 b(exaggerated as shown), and a can change by greater than 0.05 degree,greater than 0.10 degree or greater than 0.15 degree. The movement ofthe angle of the stylus may also be less than 0.3 degree, less than 0.2degree or less than 0.1 degree. The stylus is mechanically linked tostylus bar 840 which is mechanically linked to diaphragm 850. The stylusbar 840 is moved between positions 840 a and 840 b which in turn extendsdiaphragm 850 between positions 850 a and 850 b. Diaphragm 850 moves theair in the soundbox and produces sound waves that are transmitted viathe air in the sound arm and the sound horn. The sound waves that areproduced are a reproduction of the sound signal that is transmitted tothe LMT(s). The gramophone and motion inducing device may be capable ofreplicating sounds outside the frequency range of the human ear oroutside of the range obtainable when playing a 78 rpm record. Whenplaying records, most antique gramophones have a frequency range ofabout 100 Hz to about 8000 Hz. The system described herein, however,using the same device from the stylus to the horn, can reproducefrequencies as low as 20 Hz or as high as 20,000 Hz. Obtainablefrequency ranges include, for example, 100 Hz to 10,000 Hz, 50 Hz to10,000 Hz, 50 Hz to 15,000 Hz or 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. While the movementof the stylus may be similar to that induced by playing a record, theLMTs may be capable of moving the stylus more distinctly, over a greaterdistance and at a greater frequency than the movement that is achievedusing a recording, such as a 78 rpm shellac record.

As viewed in FIG. 10B, lateral movement of carriage 894 occurs into andout of the page. As shown, stylus 830 is held in place by conventionalset screw 834 and is in contact with carriage 894 at point of contact832. Lateral movement of stylus 830 is exaggerated by stylus bar 840which is mechanically connected to diaphragm 850 which in turn issupported between gaskets in sound box 860. Sound waves pass out ofsound box 860 through sound box tube 872, through pivoting connector 876and into taper tube 874. Sound box 860 is pivotable in a vertical axisaround pivot point 878 and this movement can be used to place and removethe stylus from the carriage 894, as it would be for a record. Angle Θillustrates the angle formed by the movement of sound box 860 aroundpivot point 878 and is a result of the vertical distance between theupper surface of carriage 894 and pivot point 878, as well as the heightof the sound box 860, including stylus 830. If a particular embodimentof the motion inducing device is too high, resulting in a decreased Θand a resulting decrease in angle ß, the platter (turntable) can beremoved from the gramophone to provide additional vertical space. Inother embodiments, the motion inducing device is designed to be of a lowprofile, and from the bottom surface of the LMT (in contact with theplatter) to the point of contact 832 on the upper surface of carriage894 may be, for example, less than 1 cm, less than 7 mm, less than 5 mmor less than 3 mm. These embodiments allow for the playing of digitallystored music while still allowing for, with removal of the motioninducing device, the playing of conventional records on the gramophone.

While various gramophone designs may differ in componentry, mostmechanisms are similar in that the stylus is mechanically connected tothe diaphragm so that movement of the stylus directly and mechanicallymoves the diaphragm to produce sound waves that travel along an airpathway to the horn. No electrical input or amplification is neededalong the pathway from the stylus to the horn. Different geometries ofthe pathway, including tubes and horn, help determine the qualities ofthe sound, and thus different designs can be chosen to achieve differentresults. As some LMT embodiments may offer greater dynamic range thandoes a shellac or vinyl record, gramophone geometries may also bealtered to improve sound qualities given this greater range.

EXAMPLE

In one exemplary embodiment, a manually powered gramophone such as thatshown in FIG. 8A is equipped with the dual anti-phase LMT system asillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 9A. A source of music (or other sound), suchas digital music storage device 210, is in electrical communication withmotion inducing system 200 which, in this embodiment, includes LMT(s)240, carriage 252, brackets 250, amplifier 230 and conditioner 220. Themotion inducing system 200 may include a wireless receiver and/ortransmitter, such as Bluetooth or wifi, for receiving or transmittingsound and/or meta data. In other embodiments, the motion inducing systemmay include a sound input port such as a standard audio jack and/or mayinclude an on board radio receiver and tuner, such as an FM tuner. Somemotion inducing systems may include on board digital music storage thatmay be dedicated to the motion inducing device. The on board digitalmusic storage device can also include a power supply, data storage,removable data storage, wifi capability and/or a visual display.Additional improvements to the system may include replacing the micadiaphragm with more modern materials such as flexible polymers,composite or carbon fiber laminates or carbon nanotube sheets. Thesechanges to the diaphragm may improve, for example, robustness, soundquality and volume.

Any source of sound can be transmitted from the sound source to optionalconditioner 220 where stereo signals can be combined into a monauralsignal. Conditioner 220 can provide other functions such as filtering,isolating, amplifying or digital to analog conversion. In someembodiments, conditioner 220 can comprise at least one of a filter, anisolator, an amplifier or a digital to analog or analog to digitalconverter. From conditioner 220, the signal travels to amplifier 230where the power of the signal is increased to a level that is adequateto drive the LMT(s). This power level can be adjusted by the user or, insome cases, is fixed. The power level can be optimized by listening tomusic being played over the system and detecting when desirable volumeand range is obtained absent undesirable distortion or background noise.Different types of sound, for instance, different music types, voice,movie soundtracks or news broadcasts may provide for best results atdifferent power levels that may be best determined on location on a caseby case basis.

The electrical signal from the amplifier is used to drive LMTs 240 thatare mechanically connected to carriage 252. As shown they are wiredanti-phase and are physically positioned as mirror images of each other,facing inwardly. As a result, each LMT moves the carriage in the sametransverse direction upon receiving the same signal. As shown in theembodiment of FIG. 4, the LMTs can be exciters such as compact audioexciter TEAX14C02-8 available from Tectonic Elements Ltd. Carriage 252is moved by the LMTs along a single axis at a frequency and amplitudethat is similar to that which would be provided by a laterally cutrecord passing under the stylus. The carriage and the LMT(s) may be theonly portions of the motion inducing system that move in relation to thegramophone. The axis or plane of the carriage may be oriented in adirection that is substantially normal to the axis of movement of theexciters. Stylus 260 contacts carriage surface 254 at a contact point,and the tip of the stylus moves along with the movement of the carriage.These lateral stylus movements are amplified by the long lever of stylusbar 270. The stylus bar is mechanically attached to diaphragm 280 whichvibrates in response to the stylus movement. Vibration of diaphragm 280causes air waves to develop, and sound waves are created in response tothe sound signal from the digital music source. The carriage moveslittle or no air but may still produce some sound itself, as much as canbe heard directly from the diaphragm. Full range and volume sound isreproduced when the sound produced by the diaphragm is mechanicallyamplified by the design of the taper tube assembly and horn. Thediaphragm is moved by the stylus bar which is mechanically connected tothe stylus which is vibrated by the movement of the carriage.

While several embodiments have been described and illustrated herein,those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety ofother means and/or structures for performing the functions and/orobtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages describedherein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to bewithin the scope of this disclosure. More generally, those skilled inthe art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions,materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplaryand that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/orconfigurations will depend upon the specific application or applicationsfor which the teachings of this disclosure is/are used. Those skilled inthe art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more thanroutine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodimentsdescribed herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoingembodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within thescope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, along with otherembodiments that may not be specifically described and claimed.

All definitions, as defined herein either explicitly or implicitlythrough use should be understood to control over dictionary definitions,definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinarymeanings of the defined terms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Other elements may optionallybe present other than the elements specifically identified by the“and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elementsspecifically identified, unless clearly indicated to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for playing sound, the devicecomprising: at least one transducer configured to receive an audio inputfrom an electronic source and convert the audio input into linearmotion; and a soundbox coupled to the transducer and including adiaphragm, the diaphragm mechanically connected to the transducer, andwherein linear motion of the transducer moves the diaphragm to produceat least one sound wave in response to receipt of the audio input. 2.The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one transducer is one of alinear motor, a linear actuator, a modulator, and an exciter.
 3. Thedevice of claim 1 further comprising an arm operatively coupled to thetransducer and the soundbox, the arm configured to push and/or pull thediaphragm to produce the at least one sound wave.
 4. The device of claim3, wherein the arm is affixed to the diaphragm of the soundbox.
 5. Thedevice of claim 3, wherein the arm pivotally joins the soundbox to thetransducer.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic source isone of a microphone, a radio, a television, and an online audio feed. 7.The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic source is one of streamingdata or stored audio data.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein thesoundbox includes an airtight portion, such that movement of thediaphragm within the soundbox causes compression and expansion ofairspace on either side of the diaphragm.
 9. The device of claim 8,wherein compression and expansion of the airspace on either side of thediaphragm is done in an alternating fashion.
 10. The device of claim 1,wherein the diaphragm is supported between at least two gaskets of thesoundbox.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the diaphragm isconstructed and arranged within the soundbox so that the soundboxincludes at least two air spaces.
 12. The device of claim 11, whereinone of the air spaces being in fluid communication with a soundbox tube,a taper tube, and a horn.
 13. The device of claim 1 further comprisingan electrical circuit constructed and arranged to receive the audioinput from the electronic source and provide the audio input to thetransducer.
 14. The device of claim 1 further comprising a digitalstorage device, the digital storage device being the electronic sourceof the audio input.
 15. A system for playing sound, the systemcomprising: an electronic sound source configured to provide an audioinput; a motion inducing device in communication with the electronicsound source, the motion inducing device including an electrical circuitconstructed and arranged to receive the audio input from the electronicsound source, and at least one transducer configured to receive theaudio input from the electrical circuit and convert the audio input intolinear motion; and a soundbox coupled to the motion inducing device andincluding a diaphragm, the diaphragm mechanically connected to thetransducer, and wherein linear motion of the transducer moves thediaphragm to produce at least one sound wave in response to receipt ofthe audio input from the electronic sound source.
 16. The device ofclaim 15, wherein the electrical circuit further comprises an input, theinput being in electrical communication with an output of the electronicsound source.
 17. The device of claim 15, wherein the electrical circuitis configured to modify the audio input so as to provide a modifiedaudio input to the at least one transducer.
 18. The device of claim 15,wherein the motion inducing device is a linear motor transducer.
 19. Thedevice of claim 15, wherein the electrical circuit further comprises atleast one of a conditioner and an amplifier to modify the audio inputfrom the electronic sound source.
 20. The device of claim 19, whereinthe conditioner is configured to combine at least two audio inputs toprovide a mono output.